June 1942, North Africa: As the sun scorches the endless desert, the British 7th Armoured Brigade,
the "Desert Rats," brace for a crucial showdown in Operation Battleaxe. Their
secret weapon: the newly minted A15 Crusader, a 20-ton steel predator,
ready to blaze across the battlefield at a top speed of 27 miles per hour.
Outfitted with a 2-pounder anti-tank gun and a coaxial Besa machine gun, the Crusader is
more than a match for the Italian defenses it's designed to counter. But as the tanks roll out,
the reality of war hits hard. Instead of the expected Italian resistance,
they come face-to-face with the German 88mm anti-tank guns and a wall of Panzer
IIIs and IVs, turning their first combat into a harrowing ambush.
Explosions light up the landscape, sending clouds of sand into the air as shells find their
targets. It's a trial by fire for the Crusader, a tank born from the lessons of World War 1 and
Britain's strategic vision of armored warfare. Amid gunfire and the relentless desert heat, the
Crusaders' fight in Operation Battleaxe becomes a fierce contest for supremacy in North Africa.
In the 1930s, the world stood on the precipice of a conflict that would engulf nations across
the globe. Recognizing the looming threat, the British Army modernized its armored forces.
With the memories of World War 1 still fresh, war planners knew about the critical role of
mechanized units in modern warfare. But rather than having just one type of tank,
the British sought a balance between firepower, armor, and mobility, aiming to create a versatile
and capable armored force that could adapt. With this, design into two distinct classes.
The first of these was the Infantry Tank. Heavily armored to withstand anti-tank weapons,
these vehicles were designed to move alongside infantry units, providing direct support and
capable of advancing under heavy fire, essential for breaking through heavily
entrenched positions. However, their weight and armor came at the cost of speed and agility.
Cruiser tanks came to solve this problem. These vehicles were envisioned as the cavalry of the
modern age, intended for rapid maneuvers, deep penetrations into enemy territory,
and the exploitation of breaks in enemy lines, embodying a more aggressive approach to warfare.
With war inevitable, dozens of cruiser tank projects were presented to the British Army.
Better remembered as the Covenanter, the A13 was meant to replace the more costly
Cruiser IV series with the same weight, speed, and maneuverability qualities.
However, when early models faced cooling system issues and were predicted to be less
suited for combat, company Nuffield moved ahead on its modified, improved version.
The new model was better armored and had better traction when driving off-road.
The model was quickly directed to serial production, with the Director of Mechanization
ordering Nuffield Mechanization Limited to manufacture 200 tanks in July 1939. The
order was increased to 400 in 1940 and up to 1,062 models when war broke out.
The new model, the A15, was known as Crusader.
While considered an improved version of the Covenanter, the designs were actually parallel,
and, despite its later start date, the pilot model of the Crusader was ready a month and a
half before the first Covenanter, retaining most of the major features of the Covenanter, like a
turreted main gun armament, a rear-mounted engine, track-over-wheel running gear, and a crew of four.
The model embodied the British doctrine of speed and maneuverability in armored warfare.
A relatively light model for its time, weighing about 20 tons and powered by a Nuffield Liberty
L-12 engine, the 19.6-foot-long Crusader boasted a top road speed of around 27 miles per hour.
The initial model was armed with the Ordnance QF 2-pounder gun,
a 40 mm anti-tank gun, and a coaxial Besa machine gun for defense against infantry.
The Crusader's armor varied in thickness across different parts to maintain its weight,
with the maximum being around 1.93 inches. It also featured a unique sloped-front glacis plate,
a crucial design aspect for enhanced protection. It increased armor
effectiveness by deflecting enemy fire without significantly adding to the tank's weight.
The Crusader's initial production model entered service in 1941.
By this time, World War 2 was in full swing,
and the British Army welcomed the addition of the new tank with open arms.
When the A15 Crusader Mk I debuted in 1941,
it revolutionized armored combat with its unique combination of speed,
effective firepower capable of rivaling initial medium tank models, and affordability.
Initially, the Crusader became part of the standard arsenal of the iconic 7th
Armored Brigade. Better known as the "Desert Rats," this division was instrumental to the
North African Campaign and was renowned for its mobility and effectiveness in desert warfare.
The model first saw combat during Operation Battleaxe,
a British offensive primarily aimed at lifting the siege of the Lybian
port city of Tobruk and pushing back the Axis forces led by the feared General Erwin Rommel.
As the British Army's newest vehicles, the Crusaders were
expected to be game-changers. Armed with the 2-pounder gun,
they indeed could knock out all the Italian 37-millimeter guns it was sent out to fight.
However, in one of their first combat engagements, they instead encountered powerful German 88mm
anti-tank guns and well-emplaced tank and artillery units. In June 1941,
a group of Crusader tanks fell into an ambush, losing an outstanding 11 tanks. Ultimately,
the operation failed to achieve its goals and was a significant setback to the British.
This blow highlighted the many vulnerabilities plaguing the tank
from the very beginning of its service. In addition to thin armor and the now
obsolete main gun, one major letdown was its poor mechanical reliability.
While the Crusader was meant to exceed speed and maneuverability in flat desert terrain,
the hot weather conditions proved too much. After several complaints, engineers from
Morris Motors were ordered to inspect the tank's mechanics. They found severe
faults in the air cleaners, water pump fan drives, and the engine lubrication system,
all critical components of the cooling system.
The absence of railways in North Africa meant the Crusaders had to endure demanding journeys
across the land. Long and treacherous journeys through harsh terrain led to
frequent breakdowns and a dire need for repairs, but a shortage of spare parts
meant many of the models were sidelined before even making it to the battlefield.
Soon enough, the tank became disliked by crews,
as one single hit could lead to its utter destruction, deeming it unrepairable and useless.
But there was another major issue.
While the speed and armament were a problem for Italian tanks earlier in the campaign,
when the Germans introduced the iconic German Panzer III in 1942, complete with upgraded armor
protection and powerful five-centimeter guns, the two-pounder rounds of the Crusaders simply could
no longer penetrate the frontal armor plating of these tanks. The main gun was now obsolete.
With this new and improved Wehrmacht tank,
British developers upgraded the Crusader Is with a 6-pounder main gun. However,
supply and demand at the time dictated that this modification would have to wait. Instead,
the tank's armor increased to 49 millimeters thick, and the Crusader Mark II was born.
However, once on the battlefield, it proved to be very similar to the first variant,
with all the same limitations and unreliabilities. In fact, the secondary
turret was often removed to save weight, and it simply couldn't face the Panzer IIIs and IVs.
Before the battle of El Alamein in the fall of 1942,
the Crusaders I and II had been mostly relegated to reconnaissance operations.
The British were the only Allied nation actively fighting the Germans in North
Africa when they developed the Crusader cruiser tank. When the Americans finally showed up,
they brought the M4 Sherman tank with them.
Soon after their introduction in Africa, the Sherman gained iconic status due to its true
balance of firepower, armor, and mobility. Reliable and easier to produce and maintain,
it quickly became a symbol of Allied armored warfare capabilities in the war.
But this didn't mean the British were done with their own homegrown models.
The Cruiser Mark VII Cavalier, intended as a successor to the
Crusader, encountered design and performance issues from the get-go.
When it failed to significantly outperform its predecessor,
the Crusaders were brought to the front line once again. They were now better and deadlier.
Back in the drawing board, the Crusader's manufacturers,
Nuffield Mechanizations and Aero Limited, redesigned the turret,
allowing it to have the Ordnance QF 6-pounder gun, becoming the first British tank to mount it.
Finally, the Crusader III had near-equal footing
against the mid-generation Panzers. Another significant advantage of this
6-pounder gun was that it could fire high explosive rounds at enemy emplacements.
Upon its introduction, the Crusader made a name for itself in the North Africa campaign despite
its earlier iterations. The British Army's 1st Armored Division, stocked up with Crusader tanks
of all variants, finally broke through the Axis defensive lines on the way to Tobruk.
The model also played important roles during the El Alamein Battle and in Tunisia,
where their speed, armor protection, and armament proved serviceable
against mounting odds. However, as old problems remained, new ones emerged.
The turret was so cramped within the vehicle that it was difficult to deploy,
load, and fire at enemy tanks during battle. This new 6-pounder weapon also led to a crew
reduction to three due to the lack of space, leaving the commander with too many things to do
simultaneously. Additionally, many engine cooling and ventilation issues were never fully resolved.
Despite the many changes and updates, the Crusader was simply no match for the Tiger
I tank, the king of the desert. Introduced in the summer of 1942,
when face to face, the Tiger was practically invincible.
Eventually, Crusaders were relegated to flank positions by American Grant and Sherman tanks,
which had better armor and heavier guns.
After nearly three years of significant struggles, in the spring of 1943, North Africa was claimed
by the Allies, beginning the shrinking influence of the Axis on the Mediterranean.
With the end of the campaign also came the end of the Crusader as a
fighting tank. But its story would continue.
Despite the arrival of the much superior Sherman tank and its many faults,
the career of the Crusader was not entirely finished by 1943. The
surplus of over 1,000 hulls paved the way for a range of specialized roles.
Engineers transformed these vehicles into Armored Recovery Units,
vital for battlefield logistics and retrieving damaged armor. Some were
reconfigured with bulldozer blades, proving invaluable in construction and clearing
operations. Others took on the role of Gun Tractors, supporting artillery movements.
A notable transformation was the antiaircraft variant. After stripping away the standard
6-pounder gun and refashioning the armored turret, the Crusader AA Mk I emerged,
sporting a robust 40 mm Bofors gun. Its variants, Mk II and Mk III,
featured dual 20mm Oerlikon guns and a .303 Vickers K machine gun.
Designed to keep pace with fast-moving mechanized units and to defend strategic ground positions,
these antiaircraft Crusaders were primed to challenge enemy fighters
swooping at low altitudes. These saw action in the Battle of Normandy,
backing up British and Polish armored divisions. But Luftwaffe threats were minimal by then.
The Crusader AA showed their versatility in August 1944 when Polish forces near Falaise repurposed
its guns for ground combat, turning them into unexpected destroyers of enemy land units.
Overall, the Crusaders endured the harshest battlefield conditions throughout the war despite
reliability issues. More than 5,300 Crusader cruiser tanks were produced from 1940 to 1943,
with its service tenure spanning from 1941 to 1945. Other wartime users included Australia,
Free France, the Netherlands, and South Africa. Even the Germans used captured examples
and pressed them into service against their former owners, with the 15th Panzer Division.
Due to its widespread availability, speed, versatility, and early contributions at a
time when the war did not favor the Allies, the Crusader is considered a classic British tank.